UEFA Stop Use of 2022 St. Petersburg Champions League Final Ball
Update: Fully confirming the switch away from the St. Petersburg design, the likes of Bayern and Liverpool trained with the group-stage ball ahead of their Champions League matches this week.
Update: As expected, UEFA have stopped the use of the St. Petersburg-branded 2021-22 Champions League final ball following the decision to move the final to Paris.
As observed by our follower Sandro in the UEFA Youth League, which was played this week, UEFA reverted to using the group-stage football after the St. Petersburg version had already been used in earlier games this month. Specifically, the group-stage football was used in the games between Manchester United and Dortmund, and PSG and Sevilla yesterday, and is expected to be used in today's games as well.
It will be interesting to see whether a dedicated new final ball will be released for the UEFA Champions League or if UEFA will take the same action as in the Youth League. The UEFA CL returns on March 8.
Original article (Feb 25, 2022): With Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine, many voices worldwide cried out against this move. Among them were also UEFA, who planned to hold the 2022 Champions League final in St. Petersburg.
Will Adidas Change the UCL Final Ball?
UEFA strongly condemned Russia's actions and met today to make the decision to remove St. Petersburg as the host city. The final is to be played on May 28, 2022, with the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, near Paris, announced as the new location.
The last time a Champions League final was staged at this venue was in 2006, when Barcelona beat Arsenal 2-1.
With St. Petersburg no longer hosting the 2022 Champions League final, Adidas' 2022 UCL final ball might require an aesthetic makeover.
The entire design is inspired by the Russian city, so simply printing over the inscriptions will not be enough to fully remove the St. Petersburg theme.
It is not yet clear what Adidas have planned. With several months until the Champions League final, they certainly still have the option of releasing a new ball to match the new host city.
They have no obligation to mass-produce this new model. Adidas could simply produce a small quantity of Paris-themed UCL balls that are to be used only for the final.
For reference, in 2020, when the UCL final was supposed to take place in Istanbul but was played in Porto instead, the writing and design on the ball were not altered. The current Russia situation could be cause for Adidas and UEFA to think differently on the matter, though.
The ball for the 2006 Champions League final in France featured a design with the country's iconic 'tricolore'. Perhaps Adidas could invoke similar designs if they do decide to remake the 2022 UCL final ball.
What do you think Adidas should do? Comment below.
Venezia and Rapid Wien Release Special Collaborative Kit
Venezia FC and SK Rapid have unveiled two special limited-edition jerseys to celebrate the 26th anniversary of the historic friendship between their supporters and clubs. The twinning, which officially traces back to January 15, 2000, was commemorated on the pitch during an international friendly at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, with both sides wearing the bespoke designs.
The collaboration includes two distinct shirts designed in close cooperation with the fan groups. The black Unione jersey features an all-over diamond jacquard pattern, complemented by Venezia's orange and green checkerboard on the right shoulder and Rapid's green and white stripes on the left. The white Unione shirt presents a split look blending green and orange accents with line illustrations of iconic architectural landmarks from both Venice and Vienna, including the Doge's Palace and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Both designs place the lion of Saint Mark and the Austrian eagle crests side by side above the date 15.01.2000.
During the friendly match on the Venetian lagoon, the hosts wore the black kit while Rapid took to the pitch in the white version, with Venezia edging a 1-0 victory. The limited-edition jerseys have been made available to supporters through Venezia's official online store and physical club shops.
Unique Jordan PSG 26-27 Third Goalkeeper Kit Leaked - Inspired by Bernard Lama
The striking new goalkeeper jersey from the upcoming Paris Saint-Germain x Jordan third collection has leaked courtesy of PSG insider @lasource75006. Scheduled to drop in the coming weeks alongside the club's 26-27 third player kit, the long-sleeve piece pays direct homage to iconic former Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper Bernard Lama.
The Jordan PSG 26-27 third goalkeeper shirt draws inspiration from the distinctive Nike template worn by Lama during the 1997-98 season. It features a vibrant red base with sharp black vertical stripes tapering upward from the lower hem. The long sleeves are adorned with dynamic graphic streaks in shades of purple, blue, and black, perfectly channeling the flamboyant goalkeeper aesthetics of the late 1990s.
Gold detailing rounds off the design, highlighted by a centrally aligned Jordan Jumpman sitting above a monochrome Paris Saint-Germain crest and the Qatar Airways chest sponsor.
Neuchâtel Xamax 26-27 Fête des Vendanges Special Kit Released
Swiss Challenge League side Neuchâtel Xamax and technical partner Capelli Sport have officially released a special-edition kit for the 2026 Fête des Vendanges, Neuchâtel's iconic annual wine harvest festival. The bespoke design pays tribute to a historic local milestone, commemorating the 750th anniversary of the consecration of the Collegiate Church of Neuchâtel (Collégiale de Neuchâtel), which took place in 1276.
The Capelli Neuchâtel Xamax 26-27 Fête des Vendanges shirt arrives in a sharp black and silver colorway, covered in intricate architectural illustrations of the famous landmark. The front of the jersey features repeating linework depicting the church's Gothic arches, towers, and rose windows, flowing into detailed clock faces and decorative borders around the lower hem. Finished with matching ornate patterns along the collar and cuffs, all sponsor and club logos are rendered in monochrome silver
Montenegro 2026 Home & Away Kits Released
Italian sportswear brand Legea has rolled out the new home and away kits for the Montenegro national football team. The long-standing partnership between Legea and the Football Association of Montenegro continues with a fresh set of bespoke designs showcased on display mannequins.
The new Montenegro 2026 home kit is predominantly red, accented with two prominent yellow vertical stripes running down the front of the jersey. In line with the central design focus, the white Legea wordmark and the national federation crest sit centrally on the chest above yellow squad numbering. The strip is rounded off with red shorts featuring yellow detailing and matching red socks.
The 2026 away kit adopts an inverted approach on a clean white base. It features a bold central vertical band in red, neatly outlined by thin yellow borders that run from the collar down to the hem. The Legea logo, national team crest, and front numbers are all aligned inside the central red stripe, completed by white shorts and white socks with subtle red and yellow trims.
All-New Adidas Crazylight Pro Concept Boots Revealed
Adidas has offered an intriguing look at the future of speed footwear at its Home of Innovation showcase held at the brand's headquarters in Herzogenaurach. Among several radical prototypes displayed across various sports categories, the standout for football was the striking Adidas Crazylight Pro concept, inspected during the event by Real Madrid forward Rodrygo. Big thanks to sr4u_josh.
The Crazylight moniker has long represented the pinnacle of lightweight engineering for Adidas, tracing back to the featherweight 99g and 135g F50 Adizero models of the mid-2010s through to modern experimental speed releases. This new Crazylight Pro concept pushes that design ethos even further, featuring an ultra-thin, semi-translucent upper finished in a crisp white, solar red, and black palette. Dynamic, curving support lines run along the forefoot and midfoot, creating an external skeleton designed to hold the foot securely without adding unnecessary bulk.
The most futuristic element sits on the underside, where Adidas revealed a chrome outsole constructed around an intricate skeletal frame. Spreading outward from the center in an organic, web-like pattern, the metallic structure anchors the studs while carved-out sections expose a translucent red base plate to shave off every possible gram. While Adidas has not announced a retail release for this exact model, concepts from the Crazylight Pro could provide an early preview of technology destined for upcoming generations of the F50 speed line in future seasons.
AS Nancy-Lorraine 26-27 Third & Fourth Kits Released
French club AS Nancy-Lorraine and Decathlon have officially launched the club's new third and fourth shirts for the 26-27 season. Following the release of their classic red-and-white home shirt and geometric away strip earlier this summer, the new drop delivers two distinctive looks deeply tied to regional history and meaningful causes.
The AS Nancy 26-27 third kit is predominantly dark navy with elegant soft pink accents, finished with a classic polo collar for a vintage-chic aesthetic. Across the front, an intricate tonal graphic takes inspiration from the Gothic vaults of Nancy's famous Palais Ducal, layered over the club's historical vertical stripes. In place of the standard modern crest, Decathlon has applied an oversized 1970s thistle emblem on the chest, while a centenary tribute to the Stade Marcel Picot sits on the back of the neck.
Alongside the navy shirt, the club also presented the AS Nancy 26-27 fourth kit. Dedicated to the upcoming Octobre Rose campaign in support of breast cancer awareness, it reverses the color palette with an all-pink look complemented by navy details and the retro thistle badge. While the third kit is already available for purchase, the fourth kit will be released as a strictly limited edition.